Heading West - Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere Of Influence
It's war!
The problem with Nobunaga’s Ambition is that the title is a constant reminder of the fantastic Onimusha series, which Capcom has long since abandoned. So while my heart is heavy once again, in mourning of a once great franchise, I’m also pleased to see that Koei Tecmo has announced that it will be sending Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence [official site] to the western world this September 4th. Good news for turn-based grand strategy fans!
Known as Nobunaga’s Ambition: Creation in Japan, the latest entry to the long-running (30 years!) has been renamed Sphere of Influence for its western release. Set during the Sengoku era (1467 - 1603) in Japan, you’ll be placed in the large shoes of a feudal lord, striving to unite the country under your own flag and ideals.
You’ll do this through creation, diplomacy and war. Build up your clan by expanding your land, growing your economy and dealing with other pesky landowner style busy work. Doing so will allow you to excel at the fun stuff: espionage and fighting. Spies and armies are the name of the game here and you’ll need both to take full dominion over Japan.
History buffs will delight in playing as real historical personalities, while everyone else can customise their own warlord character. The game has been out for a while in Japan, so there's plenty of information about the game to digest between now and the game's western launch on September 4th.
